Workers remain resolute as BWI-AP unions join #CUB55 boycott

14 November 2016 09:21

Over the past five months workers across Australia have been boycotting Carlton & United Breweries beers to support 55 CUB workers who were sacked without justification then offered their jobs back at with a 65% pay cut. Today workers across the Asia-Pacific region will be joining this boycott in solidarity with those workers. “The #CUB55 are emblematic of the fight against outsourcing and job insecurity, not only in Australia, but across the whole of Asia-Pacific region,” said BWI Regional Representative Apolinar Tolentino. “BWI unions have already shown their solidarity to these workers, who are members of our Australian affiliate the Electrical Trades Union and our partner union the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, but it is time to step up our game. We are calling on all our affiliate unions in the region to join the #CUB55 boycott and avoid anti-union beers, ciders and spirits.” Over the last month the battle against CUB has become even bigger. On 10 October it was announced that Anheuser-Busch (AB) InBev had completed its US$103 billion takeover of CUB’s parent company SAB Miller. The third largest take-over in financial history, together they make up the world’s brewing mega conglomerate, responsible for 46% of profits in the industry and one in every three beers drunk across the globe. AB InBev has already announced that it will cut its global workforce by 3% (which could mean as many as 6000 workers), as part of a $1.4 billion saving they are planning from the merger. This battle is therefore a critical first step in making sure that the new conglomerate understands the importance of its workers and their rights. Workers joining the boycott should check out this handy poster to see what drinks to avoid for the duration of the boycott. The ETU are also asking as many as people as possible to sign